Ruby Red
by Seth Destrucdos de Mardio
Summary: Formerly titled: ALWAYS IN MY HEART. Ruby has always known there was something missing in her life, she has everything she wants, people love her and life use to be great. Ruby decides to risks in going to the underworld only to find Hades and she unexpectedly starts to fall for him when he doesn't kill her. She knows that Hades is a bad guy, will her mother ever understand?
1. AUTHOR'S NOTES

Author's Notes

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><p><strong>So this story is re-written version of the story ALWAYS IN MY HEART. I have re-read and re-written the entire story. It is still the same story just with a new title and a few changes to the grammar mistakes and etc. I also split the story up into ten chapters instead of one huge chapter that contained the entire story.<strong>

**So I hope you enjoy!**


	2. Returning To Life

Returning To Life

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><p><em>GPOV…<em>

Ruby Harrison stepped through the front door of her father's mansion in LA. She had just returned from Camp Half Blood early thinking that this was what she wanted but it wasn't even close.

"Ruby, my love," her father said as he stepped into the foyer.

"Dad," Ruby replied trying to sound happy.

"I've missed you," he said.

Luckily her dad wasn't that good at seeing her true feelings.

"I've missed you too," she half lied.

She wasn't totally sure if she missed him or not. She knew there was something missing in her life and a lot of late it's been getting harder to figure out what that something was. Camp didn't help. When she was there it made her feel a little worse as if it was something to do with camp but it wasn't.

Ruby Harrison is a half blood, a demigod and everyone loved her. She was popular and everyone wanted to be around her but that wasn't her choice. Her mother being the god of love and beauty was the main reason why everyone loved her. There was something about her that made everyone fall head over knees in love with her. Boys wanted to be her boyfriend and girls wanted to be her best friend. While Ruby just wanted was someone to hate her. She wanted to be alone.

She had once enjoyed people loving her. It was something she loved about camp, everyone just fighting to be with her. But this time something was different. Life at camp just felt like a hollow life. So she put on a brace face the whole time hoping the feeling she had would disappear, but it didn't.

Now that she was home she thought the feeling of whatever she was feeling would disappear and yet it hadn't which meant it was either a permanent thing or something that was going to take forever to get rid of.

"I'm tired from the fight," Ruby said. "I think I might have a sleep," Ruby said.

"But it's only ten in the morning," her father replied.

"Jet lag, I guess," Ruby said.

Ruby was tired. She was hoping that going to sleep would help her. She opened the door to her room and noticed that nothing had moved apart from the bed had been made while she was gone and everything was clean even though it wasn't being used.

Ruby sat her bag onto her bed and opened it. She pulled out a gloss black iPod and black matching headphones. These had really helped when she wasn't killing monsters or training. She flipped the iPod over and noticed the skull made of small little diamonds. Ruby wouldn't have been surprised to find that they were real because this iPod and headphones belonged to Nico Di Angelo.

Ruby had spent a few hours talking with Nico Di Angelo one day at camp when she had managed to get away from her fan club. He didn't talk much but she felt a little better while she sat there with him. Nico had decided to be nice and told her the best way to block out people and their voices was with music. She had never thought about music because she never had time until now to do anything. Nico ended up giving her his iPod and headphones. He said she could keep them but she didn't want too. She would return them to him at some point, maybe when the holidays came around again. But he was right about one thing. Music really helped when you wanted to block people out.

Ruby held the black headphones and black iPod in one hand while she pressed a button that covered the windows with strong blinds that blocked out the sunlight. She turned the iPod on and placed the headphones over her ears. She lied down on her huge bed and soon fell asleep while listening to Nico's song choices. She didn't mind his songs that much. They oddly made her got to sleep faster.

* * *

><p>Ruby woke at about eleven at night. She knew her father would be asleep already so she decided not to make too much noise. Ruby left the headphones on as she pressed the button so the blinds disappeared. With the blinds gone she had the perfect view of the Hollywood sign.<p>

Ruby got out of her bed and walked over to the window. She leant against the window sill and stared at the sign. She had been to the Hollywood sign but it was much better from a distance. As she continued to stare at the sign and listen to Nico's songs she started to think about Nico. She wanted to see him, talk to him, do something other than stay here and fake she was happy to be here.

Ruby remembered Nico telling her about one of the many secret ways into the underworld. A lot of them were in LA so there would be no problem for Ruby to get too. So she knew how to get into the underworld and since Nico left camp a few days before she had he should be there but was really going to the underworld worth. Ruby decided that it was. The worst that could happen is she dies and then she wouldn't have to worry about faking she was happy anymore because she would be dead and there was no point in faking anything if you're dead.

Ruby grabbed her bag which fell onto the floor while she was asleep. She packed some things she thought she might need including the small dagger she used in training at Camp Half Blood. She quickly got changed in a hoodie and jeans. She pulled the hood over her head after putting the headphones around her neck in case she wanted to listen to some more music on the way to the underworld.

After getting changed and everything she slowly and quietly made her way to the front door. This wouldn't be the first time she snuck out so she knew just what to do. Once outside she headed towards the closet secret entry point to the underworld. Ruby was surprised that Nico told her at all where some of these points were. If she was him she would never tell anyone because she would end up getting into trouble for it.

After about an hour of walking Ruby was now standing in front of Hades' Palace in the underworld. It was hot and she could her screams which just made her smile because this was completely a new experience for her.

Ruby slowly opened the front door and walked inside. This place was dark, scary and she could feel death everywhere. But she smiled even though it scared her to her bones. She had never met a real god before apart from Mr D at camp if that even counts since she hardly saw him. She had never talked to him which didn't count as meeting him in her mind. Now she was walking through Hades' Palace.

She learned from Chiron and other campers that coming face to face with Hades were worse than death itself. He was the scariest god and everyone hated him. She smiled because she would gladly change lives with him for a day if it meant someone hated her and she was alone. But she also wouldn't want to do that because this place scared her.

Ruby continued to walk through the palace until she froze because she heard a voice she had never heard before. The voice ran through her body like a cold shiver.

"Why are you here?" they asked.

Ruby slowly turned to see Hades, or who she guessed to be Hades, behind her. He was standing at least a foot away from her and he didn't move at all. His chest didn't move which made it look like he wasn't breathing and he didn't have a heartbeat.

"I," Ruby shallowed hard.

"Answer the question," Hades said with his spine shivering voice.

"I came to visit Nico," Ruby blurted out.

She just wanted to get it off her chest and now she wanted to leave.

"Well he's not here," Hades replied.

"Okay, I'll just go," Ruby said as she tried to walk part him.

Hades just stepped in front of her. She was screwed. She knew he would kill her without a hesitation.

"You're pretty cute," Hades said.

"Look, I came here to talk with Nico and I would gladly like it if people stopped telling me that I was beautiful and that I'm cute because I've had enough, so back off," Ruby blurted out before she remembered who she was talking too.

She placed her hands over her mouth. She had just yelled at him and told him to back off. She had told Hades the god of the underworld to back. She was screwed for sure now. Ruby looked down at the floor in shame. She bit her lip and waited for something, anything to happen but nothing did.

She slowly looked up at his emotionless face. He hadn't moved once. His chest still remained still which confused and scared Ruby.

"I'm sorry," Ruby whispered as she removed her hands from her mouth.

"Why did you want to talk to Nico?" Hades asked.

Ruby felt a cold chill go down her back. She just wanted to leave and she couldn't. She was scared of being trapped here forever because dying would be too easy.


	3. Why

Why

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><p><em>GPOV…<em>

"I just wanted to talk to him," Ruby replied.

"Young people, I will never understand you," Hades said as he stepped around her.

Ruby watched as Hades walked deeper into his palace. Ruby turned to face the halls towards the front door. She wanted to leave but Hades doesn't just let people leave without a serious injury or a message for someone else or both. Ruby shallowed hard. She wanted to leave so much but part of her wanted to follow Hades and check out his palace. Unfortunately the part that wanted to follow him was the part that made her problem of being loved to much disappear.

Ruby turned and walked down the hall in the direction Hades had left in. She wasn't totally sure why she did it. Hades had given her a chance to leave with her life, he wouldn't do it again. She stepped into a wide opened out space. There was a huge dining table covered in food to her right while there was a sitting area to her left. Hades lounged on the lounge with his feet on the armrest while his hands were under his head. He stared up at the ceiling. This didn't look like or feel like Hades to Ruby.

"I would have sent him a message on Facebook but I'm not friends with him on Facebook and I don't even know if he has it," Ruby said as she took a step towards Hades.

She noticed the huge artworks on the walls. It was odd because they moved and they all appeared to be of someone burning. As if they were memories of someone Hades had tortured.

"He doesn't, he's not that social," Hades replied still in his spine shivering voice.

"That's what I thought," Ruby said as she stared at the artworks. "What are these about?" Ruby asked as she avoided looking at him.

She heard him sit and she guessed he leaned onto the back of the lounge since she was looking up at the artworks that hung on the wall behind the lounge his was on. Hades said nothing so she slowly turned to see him staring at her. Yet again she thought she was intruding.

"That was Adolf Hitler," Hades said as looked up at one of the artworks. "They are just reminders of the past, mistakes of the past," Hades added as he lied back down.

"Why would they be mistakes?" Ruby asked.

"Because he was my son and my mistake," Hades said.

Ruby didn't reply straight away. She wasn't totally sure what to say. She took another step closer to him while she looked around the room. She saw a massive fire place. The fire was bright orange and it was nice even for a dangerous element.

"Are they all your children," Ruby asked.

Ruby noticed Hades nod from the corner of her eye as she walked towards one of the black and red velvet armchairs.

"Would you do that to Nico?" Ruby asked concerned for her friend.

Hades froze. Ruby got the feeling that he had never thought about it.

"No, he's different," Hades replied.

Ruby took her bag off her back and sat in the armchair. She could have left at any time but she didn't. For some reason she wanted to stay. Plus the fact that someone was going to hate her for coming was something she wanted.

"So what was so important that you would come all the way here to just talk with Nico about?" Hades asked as he stared at the ceiling.

"Well I talked with him for a bit at camp and he gave me his iPod and headphones, for one I wanted to give them back," Ruby said. "And I needed a reason to get out of my father's mansion," Ruby added as leant back into the chair.

"And coming to his father's palace was better?" Hades asked.

"Anything seemed better, everyone loves me and I just want one person to hate me," Ruby said as she looked up at the ceiling.

It was plain and simple. It was all black but for some reason Hades found it more interesting than anything else in this room and this room was beautiful even if to most it would scare them to death. But the scariness of this place was growing on Ruby.

"I could hate you if you want," Hades replied.

"And you don't already," Ruby replied instantly.

Hades remained silent as Ruby's eyes continued to look around the room.

"You haven't given me a reason to hate you," Hades replied without moving an inch.

"What about the fact that I just walked into your palace?" Ruby suggested.

"You really want someone to hate you don't you?" Hades asked as he propped himself up with his arms.

Ruby sat there for a bit. Did she really want someone to hate her or was that something she told herself because she had no better answer.

"It must be fun living here," Ruby said trying to avoid an answer.

"You're joking right, I'm trapped here forever, I can't go to the surface and the underworld is pretty boring after a while. Plus I have a wife that hates my guts and a son that would rather hang out with his limited friends than come here," Hades said as he lied back down.

"So you'll alone here?" Ruby asked.

Hades nodded.

"I would love to be alone for at least a day. I constantly get followed around at camp and when I'm at home my father is always around because I remind him or my mother," Ruby said as she lied down in the armchair so her head sat against the back of the chair.

"Aphrodite," Hades guessed.

Ruby nodded. Even thought she was her mother she hated her because of everything she was.

"I never liked her," Hades said.

"No you're more of the sunshine type of guy," Ruby said referring to Persephone.

Hades remained silent for a couple seconds before saying.

"I'm sure you're the type of girl that loves having guys begging on their knees," Hades said.

"I would prefer if guys just left me alone," Ruby said.

Hades said nothing and continued to stare at the ceiling. Ruby looked around the room more and noticed that the ceiling was higher, a lot higher, than a normal ceiling would be. That was when she noticed a second level that looked down at this room.

"So I'm Ruby," she said introducing herself.

"I already knew that," Hades replied.

"I guessed that but since I haven't met a god before I thought I would formerly introduce myself," Ruby said.

"You've never met a god before, well that's disappointing," Hades said with no emotion.

Ruby wasn't sure if he was joking or being serious.

"Well I've seen Dionysus around camp but I've never talked to him," Ruby said.

"I never liked him," Hades replied.

"Is there anyone you like?" Ruby asked.

Hades was silent but Ruby guessed this was because he was thinking about her question.

"I like you, you're pretty interesting," Hades said.

"I met as in a god," Ruby said.

"Well then that's a no."

"Yet you're married to one," Ruby pointed out.

"Just because I'm married to her doesn't mean I have to like her," Hades said.

"But you did at some point right?" Ruby asked wondering why he was married to her at all.

"Of course," Hades replied.

* * *

><p>After a few more hours of talking Hades watched as Ruby curled up in the armchair and fell asleep. Even though this whole place screamed with terror and fear, literally, she still seemed perfectly fine with going to sleep in hell, literally. Hades sat up and placed his head on the back of the lounge while his feet sat on the floor.<p>

_What am I doing? _He thought. _Why didn't I just kill her?_

Hades didn't want to admit it but Ruby was doing something to him, something no one had ever done to him, not in a long time. It had nothing to do with her natural beauty and her hidden power. Hades didn't know whether or not she knew it but she had the power to make anyone like her by just looking at them, anyone apart from a god.

Hades stood up slowly and looked down at Ruby sleeping in his armchair. He just wanted to leave her and go to his room to sleep off whatever she had done to him but he couldn't just leave her there. Hades stepped over the armchair before bending down and picking Ruby up in his arms. Hades carried her up the stairs to the second level that overlooked the dining and sitting rooms.

Once on the second level he stepped into one of the many unused bedrooms. Hades used his power over the shadows to pull the black silk sheets and heavy black comforter back before placing Ruby under both. Hades quickly pulled the sheets and comforter over Ruby before leaving the room.

Hades went to his bedroom, the master bedroom, of course. His bedroom was bigger than the one Ruby was sleeping in now but the master bedroom was always bigger.

Hades walked over to his bed before falling backwards onto the bed. He lied on his back and stared at the curtains that hung over his bed. They were made of black silk and had small diamonds sown into the material. Hades stared at the diamonds and watched as they slowly changed into rubies. He couldn't get his mind of Ruby and now he was changing diamonds into rubies because of her.

Even though he wanted to stop thinking about her he never changed the rubies back to diamonds before he drifted into sleep.


	4. Birthday Gift

Birthday Gift

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><p><em>GPOV…<em>

Ruby woke in a bed that was very comfortable and warm. She remembered going to sleep in the red and black armchair so how did she get here? She slowly sat up and noticed that her bag was sitting on the end of the bed. She also noticed a black box sitting beside it. It was slightly bigger than an iPad box. She pushed the sheets and comforter away from her before she crawled over to the box where she found a note sitting on top of the box.

_I returned Nico's iPod and headphones for you. I thought you might like these, Hades_

The note had been hand written and the hand writing was wonderful. It was a lovely style that reminded Ruby of something ancient but also elegantly modern. But how could someone as cold-hearted as Hades write so beautifully. Ruby shook her head at the thought of the two words _Hades _and _beautiful _in the same sentence.

Ruby placed the note down beside her before opening the black box. Inside the box she found new headphones and an iPod Touch. Unlike Nico's black and diamond skull headphones and iPod these headphones and iPod were still gloss black with rubies instead of diamonds. Plus there wasn't really any pattern with the rubies. They were placed randomly, which was how Ruby felt most of the time.

_Why would he give me this? _She thought.

She didn't understand what he was playing at or why. Ruby guessed that money wasn't a problem for him but that didn't mean she liked someone spending a lot of her even though that's what her entire life has been like. Her father bought her anything she ever wanted or needed. Even though she didn't like the idea of someone buying or giving her things of such value she couldn't care less about how much these would be worth in the mortal world.

Ruby had removed the headphones and iPod Touch from the box so she placed them back in the box before reaching over for her bag. When she packed her bag she hadn't really unpacked it so it still had all the clothes she had worn at camp. Granted they had all been worn and they were all dirty she couldn't really care less because a shower sounded really good at that point in time.

Ruby found some clothes that were clean enough to live with before jumping off the bed and heading over the single doors in the room. There was a set of double doors which Ruby guessed to be the doors to get out of the room which made the single doors either open to a bathroom or a closet.

Of course the first door Ruby opened was a closet. This made her smile as the stepped over the other single door which opened to a bathroom. She would have called it an ensuite because that's what a bathroom that could only be accessed through the bedroom was called but this bathroom was bigger than a bathroom in a normal house so it was going to stay a bathroom.

Ruby had a shower that was amazing for a shower in the underworld. All the things her friends told her about the underworld were wrong. Well not all the things. The underworld was still the place where the dead went when they died and it was the home of Hades' Palace but the small things were false.

After the shower Ruby got dressed in the half dirty clothes she had worn once back at Camp Half Blood. Ruby picked up the clothes she had been wearing and stepped back into the bedroom where she stuffed the clothes into her bag before turning and walking towards the double doors in the room.

Ruby stepped out of the bedroom and walked over the half wall so she could look down at the dining/sitting area below. As she stood there she noticed Hades sitting at the head of the dining table and he was literally just sitting there. He wasn't eating or reading or anything, just sitting.

Ruby continued to watch him until he slowly looked up her. His face still carried no emotion but Ruby couldn't help but smile at him before heading for the stairs so she could enter the room he was sitting in. Once in the she made her way towards the dining table. Ruby knew the rules and she knew not to eat or drink anything in the underworld or she would be trapped here forever with Hades, which sounded a little fun and exciting.

Ruby decided to have a little fun so she started to play with an apple on the dining table before picking it up. She wasn't going to eat it or even take a bite she was just playing with it to see how Hades would react if he reacted at all. Ruby slowly looked over at Hades who was staring at her and the apple in her hand. Ruby threw the apple towards Hades who caught it with ease.

"I'm not hungry," Ruby said with a smile.

Hades didn't reply but Ruby could have sworn that she saw the corner of his mouth curl.

"You don't mind if I stay here until tomorrow, I would rather not go back home, just yet," Ruby said. "I bet my father has a big party planned, I wonder if he's figured out that I'm gone yet," Ruby said rambling to no one in particular.

"Why are you avoiding a party?" Hades asked.

"I'm avoiding my birthday party, I came back early from camp hoping that I would avoid it at camp but then I remember my father," Ruby said as she looked down at the food.

She wasn't hungry she just didn't want to look at Hades. Looking at him made her feel better, but that couldn't be right. How could he make her feel better?

"Thanks for the headphones and iPod Touch," Ruby said changing the subject.

"You can stay as long as you want, until Persephone comes back," Hades said.

_Oh right, she won't be too happy about me being here_, Ruby thought.

The atmosphere in the room changed suddenly and Ruby really wanted to leave because Hades was driving her slightly insane. Technically it was everyone else, yet again, driving her insane. It was all the things they said about Hades that was bothering her. He was being nice to her now but that wasn't something he did at all.

In the end Ruby decided to leave the room and go and listen to some music in the room she woke in. After standing there for a few minutes in complete silence Ruby turned and headed back to the stairs but stopped when she felt a gush of air past her from behind her. She didn't need to turn to knew that Hades was standing right behind her.

This time she wasn't scared about him killing her because she wasn't really afraid of him anyway. She slowly turned to face him. She looked up at his dark eyes which didn't help when she looked for some sort of emotion from him. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before whispering into her ear.

"Happy seventeenth birthday," Hades whispered.

He quickly disappeared. Ruby was left standing there with no clue about what she was doing or what she should do. She touched her cheek where he had kissed her. It felt cold because his lips were cold. They had felt like ice. Ruby quickly snapped out of it and returned to the room she had woken in.

Upon entering the room Ruby felt different. The kiss would have been practically nothing in the mortal world but this wasn't the mortal world, this wasn't even normal. Hades, the god of the underworld had just kissed her. Ruby for some reason liked it on some level but she was also too confused to understanding what else to do.

Ruby quickly decided to get out. Ruby quickly packed her bag which included packing the black and ruby headphones and iPod into her bag. She even kept the note for unknown reasons at that moment. Once done she turned back to the door but when she opened the door she found Hades standing right there in front of her. She swallowed before even thinking of saying something.

"I see you've leaving already," Hades said.

"I didn't want to get in the way and I can't just hide forever," Ruby replied.

"Okay," Hades said as he stepped aside.

Ruby stepped past and him and faced the direction of the stairs. She reached the top of the stairs when Hades spoke.

"I hope it works out for you, getting people to hate you," he said.

"Thanks," she replied before rushing down the stairs trying not to look at him.

She left the palace almost instantly. Finding her way around and out of the underworld wasn't hard when you really wanted to leave. But as she left she felt different. It almost felt as if her soul was being pulled out of her body all over again, not that she really knew how that felt of course, she meant figuratively.

She had only spent half the day there but she had changed and she didn't want to admit it because she was falling in love with him. How could she fall in love with a man, a god that has no emotions, no idea what she was going through and that spent his life staring at a ceiling?


	5. Not A Fan

Not A Fan

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><p><em>GPOV…<em>

Ruby stepped inside the front door of her father's mansion only to almost get tackled to the ground by her half-brother that wasn't meant to be here, he had been away to college.

"Wayne, what are you doing here?" Ruby asked.

"I came back for your birthday, I wouldn't miss it," Wayne replied as he let go of her. "Where have you been, dad has been worried sick," Wayne said as he held her arms.

"I thought that I should get away, because he would have planned something as a surprise," Ruby replied.

"That's why I love you, you always know things before they happen," Wayne said.

Ruby produced a fake smile, she wanted to tell him about her running away plan so he would hate her but she wasn't sure if she even wanted someone to hate her now.

Ruby spent the rest of the day in her room playing with her new iPod and headphones from Hades. She stared at them and ran her fingers over the rubies. If she just left when he let her live none of this would have happened. Why did it have to be him? She wanted to go back. She actually just wanted to be there instead of here.

At dinner Ruby sat at their huge dining table across from Wayne playing with her food. She hadn't eaten anything since before going to the underworld but for some reason she didn't feel like eating. When her father left to get her surprise Wayne leaned across the table and asked.

"What's wrong with you? You haven't eaten anything," Wayne pointed out.

"It's nothing important."

"I know that it's important, I've known you my entire life," Wayne said even though it was a lie.

Wayne was older than her so how could he possibly have known her his entire life. Ruby figured he made a mistake and meant to say that he had known her Ruby's entire life.

"It's about a guy," Ruby said hoping that he would get of her case.

But when he continued to stare at her she had no choice but to continue.

"I want to talk to him or see him but I know I shouldn't, it's so hard to decide which the better option is," Ruby said.

"You love him," Wayne said.

"I never said that," Ruby responded.

Ruby had never been in love before and she had never felt like this before. She had had boyfriends but none of those relationships were serious. None of those relationships were like this one and that's an understatement.

"You love him and it's killing you," Wayne said in a completely serious not mocking you kind of way.

All Ruby could do was nod. It was true she loved him, she loved Hades. As Ruby nodded she realised so many things wrong with this sort of relationship. He was a god, she was a half-blood. He was immortal, she wasn't. He was invincible, she wasn't.

Ruby wanted to get it all out and tell Wayne everything but Wayne didn't know the full truth. He didn't know what her mother was or who she was. He just thought that her mother ditched Ruby with their father shortly after she was born. He even though that camp was just a normal summer camp not a camp that taught you to fight and kill monsters.

Ruby's father returned to the room with the mansion's chef and a huge birthday cake. Why did it have to be this big? It's not like they will be able to eat all of it and since no one else was here because this whole Ruby coming back early was short notice. There was no one else here to eat the cake.

Ruby ate a small piece of cake before going to room where she could be alone. She stared out at the Hollywood sign. At night it was beautiful and it was night now.

"You should talk to him," Wayne said from her bedroom door.

"You don't know how much I want too," Ruby said. "I spent the day with him and he was like a stone, I can't tell what he thinks of me," Ruby said.

"Well you can only try, but never give up," Wayne said. "If he doesn't like you for you then you move on," Wayne added.

"I don't think I can," Ruby said.

"Just talk to him," Wayne said before he walked away.

Ruby decided to take his advice. She had to know how Hades felt about her and she had to know if he had no feelings at all or if there was something before she started to worry about everything else. But she couldn't just ask him could she?

* * *

><p>Hades was lying on the chaise in the sitting room when he heard the front door to his palace open.<p>

_Nico's back, what fun? _He thought.

Hades closed his eyes hoping that Nico would go straight to his without talking to him but he instantly opened them when he heard someone that wasn't Nico.

"I thought you might want to try some of my birthday cake," a girl said.

"I'm not a fan of cake," Hades said without looking up at Ruby.

"Good because I didn't bring any," Ruby said.

Hades turned his head and looked at her. She was standing there biting her bottom lip and tapping her fingers together. She was avoiding eye contact with him and he knew that look.

"I should go, this was a mistake," she said suddenly as she turned to leave.

Hades laid there for a few seconds. Half of him wanted to stop her and the other half wanted to just lie there and let here leave but the first half was stronger. He disappeared and reappeared in front of her. She was still avoiding eye contact so Hades cupped her face with his hands and turned her face to face him. But even though her head faced him her eyes still avoided him.

"Look at me," he whispered.

She swallowed and slowly looked at him. Hades noticed that she was on the brink of crying. She stared at him and he stared down at her.

"I love you," she whispered.

Hades showed no emotion because that was his thing. He pretty much didn't have any emotions because that's what everyone thought of him. If that's what everyone wanted him to be, then he would be it.

Ruby looked away disappointed because she thought he didn't feel the same. Hades stood there still holding her face until he did the one thing he didn't and did want to do ever since she left. Hades lips touched hers. Her lips were warm and tasted like strawberry cake. To his surprise even though she told him that she loved him she kissed him back.

"Ruby?" someone asked.

Hades and Ruby broke apart. Hades looked over and saw Nico standing at the entrance to the room. Hades knew he was coming back today and he had forgotten when Ruby came back.

Nico looked at Ruby and then at Hades.

"What the hell, dad," Nico said before he turned.

Hades looked down at Ruby but she was already running away from him after Nico. Hades just stood there. He wasn't sure how he should feel. Should he be angry at Nico or happy because the other half hated this whole thing?

* * *

><p>Ruby ran after Nico and grabbed his arm to stop him.<p>

"You were kissing my dad, how could you?" Nico asked when he stopped.

"I don't know," Ruby said. "He's just…"

"He's just my dad, you know what he's done and yet you still did this," Nico said.

"Nico, it's not my fault," Ruby said.

"So it's his fault, he kisses you and you have no problem with it," Nico asked. "What are you even doing here?" Nico asked.

"I came looking for you," Ruby said.

"Well you found me and now I'm leaving," Nico said before disappearing.

Ruby was left standing there in the hall alone until Hades appeared behind her. He ran his hand around her waist and pulled her against hi chest. She wasn't sure what to think so she pushed Hades' hand away and stepped away. She turned around to face Hades, still no emotion.

"I can't do this," Ruby said.

"Why because of him?" Hades said.

"No because of you, have you no emotion at all?" Ruby asked.

Hades said nothing.

"I can't do this if you don't care about me the same way," Ruby said before she left.

Ruby wanted to go to Nico but she had no idea where he was. Ruby didn't want to go home, she had nowhere to go. She pretty much dumped Hades before they were even in relationship. She couldn't stay here, she wanted to leave LA, but where to? She could go to her grandparents place in Texas but did she really want to drag them into this world of monsters and gods.

In the end Ruby decided to think about in more detail but for that she needed a place to sit down and in the end she decided the Hollywood sign was the best place. She sat on the ground leaning against the Y.


	6. Love

Love

* * *

><p><em>GPOV…<em>

Percy stood in his small living room while Nico sat on the lounge. His mother was already asleep in her room.

"She just kissed him," Percy asked.

"I think it was more like he kissed her, but she let it happen and she kissed him back," Nico said.

"Did you even listen to what she had to say?" Percy asked.

"Dude, she kissed my dad, if we lived in a normal world that would be weird enough but you know who he is," Nico said.

Percy nodded, but he wasn't convinced. If he kissed her then something must have happened. It's not like Hades to just kiss girls. He killed anyone before they got that close.

_Her powers wouldn't have an effect on him so what made him do it? _Percy thought.

"Percy you don't mind if I stay here for the night," Nico said.

"Stay as long as you want," Percy said without even considering what his mother would say.

Percy grabbed a blanket for Nico before going to his room, it was really late and he wanted to get some sleep but he couldn't because he kept thinking about Ruby and Hades. He wanted to know what happened. He needed all the details to understand it all.

Once in his room he looked over at his laptop and decided to see if she was on Facebook so he could talk to her and try and find out what was really happening. Percy didn't know why he was even bothering because he knew what sort of person Hades was. He had met him before and that was sort of the main reason behind why Percy needed to know more and from someone else other than Nico. So why not go to the source? So why not ask Ruby?

As soon as Percy logged on he noticed post after post about useless information posted by Ruby. Percy and Ruby were already friends on Facebook because she just added whoever she wanted. Percy decided that the best decision was to send her a private message to get her attention.

_Nico's at my place and he told me everything, _Percy wrote.

_I'm sure he did, can you tell him I need to talk to him_

_I think space is what he could use. You did just kiss his dad_

_He kissed me and you wouldn't understand_

_Tell me what happened_

_Seriously_

_How am I meant to understand if you don't tell me?_

Percy sat on his bed with his laptop as he read through the longest message he had ever seen. It told him everything even when she first met Hades and everything up until Nico found them.

_So you pretty much broke up with him after Nico left? _Percy replied.

_Yeah, if we ever had a thing, it wasn't because of Nico._

_What was it?_

_It's because I'm pretty sure he doesn't feel the same way about he, he never shows any emotion._

_It's not really his problem about the emotions, he's been trapped in the underworld and there isn't really a need for emotions. Plus everyone sees him as an emotionless god that enjoys being there and it's been a while since he's been on the surface so I'm just guessing here but I'm guessing he doesn't know how to use emotions. Especially with someone like you_

_Hey, _Ruby replied.

_It was a compliment, you're a very emotional person Ruby and that's who you are, _Percy wrote.

It was a little longer when the reply came this time as if she thought about it more.

_He doesn't like being in the underworld, one bit._

_I know, I've met him, but it sounds like he likes you even if he has to spend forever in the underworld he will always love you._

_You really think so?_

_Yeah, to you he's pretty much you're missing piece. You want people to hate you, everyone hates him. You want to be alone, he's always alone and I'm sure you want a little danger since everyone at camp would jump in front of you in any sign of danger. He's the definition of a bad boy._

_Ha, ha. I know how I feel and I sort of know how he feels but it's just why him? Why did I have to fall for him?_

_I don't know what the answer is to that because I don't know how it's feels to be in love with a god._

_Thanks for the confidence boost, can you tell Nico that I miss him?_

_I can try, but he's going to need a lot of time especially when you start openly dating his father._

_I can't really date him, he's married and everything._

_Persephone hates him so I've sure you can figure something out. You always manage to find a solution if it benefits you._

_Now you make it sound like I'm selfish and okay I guess I'll have to think about it, _Ruby wrote before she logged off.

* * *

><p>Ruby held her phone in her hands as she leant against the Hollywood sign. She didn't want to go home but she also did. She wanted to go back to Hades but she also didn't. Why did she have to feel like this? Ruby stood up and looked out across LA. She decided as she stood there that she would go back and talk to Hades because she really couldn't so home, her family wouldn't understand.<p>

The only person there that was close to understanding didn't know the truth about everything so this made Ruby feel bad.

_Don't do it, _Ruby heard in her head.

_Back off mum, _Ruby thought.

_He'll just hurt you._

_Leave me alone, you never cared about me before so why would you care now?_

Her mother didn't reply which was good. Ruby turned and made her way back to the secret passageway to the underworld.

* * *

><p>Hades lied on his bed staring at the rubies in the curtains. He couldn't leave the underworld so it was up to her to return and until then, if she ever returned, all he had was these rubies. He lied there staring at the rubies when he heard the front door to his palace open. He could tell that it was Ruby because this time he paid more attention to every little thing that happened.<p>

He disappeared and reappeared behind her in the hallway near the front door. He stood there and didn't move or say anything as she turned around and faced him. He instantly noticed that she had been crying so when she stepped over to him he put his arms around her and pulled her against his chest.

"I'm sorry for leaving you," Ruby said into his shirt.

"You don't have to be sorry."

"But…" Ruby started.

Hades held her tighter when he shadow travelled them to his bedroom because he didn't want to let her go. The reason behind why he brought them to his bedroom was to show her something. He couldn't tell her that he loved her because he wasn't sure if that was what he felt. After not having emotions for so long it was hard to tell if he was really feeling this or not. So to show her that he loved her if he did he decided to show her the rubies.

Ruby stepped out of his arms and looked around. She felt okay but the whole shadow travelling thing made her feel weird, as if her stomach hadn't caught up with her yet. As Ruby looked around she noticed that she was in a bedroom, a bedroom she had never seen before.

Ruby jumped slightly when Hades hand gripped her own hand. He led her towards the bed where he showed her the rubies.

"Ever since you left I've been staring at this," Hades said as he touched one of the curtains.

Ruby noticed that in the black silk curtains there were thousands of small rubies. She looked up at Hades who was now staring at her. She understood how he felt and she knew he was having a hard time saying it.

"I love you," Ruby whispered as she hugged him.

They she said it this time was different to the last time. This time she wasn't scared of what she felt, this time she understood exactly how she felt.

* * *

><p>Hades released Ruby and stared into her eyes as she looked up at him into his eyes. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips for the second time that day. Ruby instantly kissed him back. Hades hand left her as he rested his hands on her waits. He lifted her up so he wouldn't have to lean down to kiss, not that it was really a problem.<p>

Ruby instantly hooked her legs around his waist when he picked her up. Hades and Ruby broke apart every few seconds. She had to breathe even if he didn't have too. Hades stepped closer towards his bed only to press Ruby against one of the four posts that rose about his bed. Hades slowly ran his hands under the tight tank top she was wearing. She placed her hands over his to stop him from going any further. This caused Hades to break their kiss and look at her.

Ruby stared at him for a couple of seconds before looking away from him. Hades noticed how she was acting and at first he thought she didn't want to take this any further and he would have understood because he would do anything to make her happy. But that thought quickly disappeared when he realised that it was something else.

He now understood that she had never been this far with anyone before. He read her thoughts and flicked through her memories to discover that she had only made out with guys and that she had never had sex with anyone.

Hades unhooked her legs from behind him and placed her back on the floor. She stood there with a confused expression on her face. Hades didn't understand what she was confused about.

_Look I may not have done this with anyone before but I love you, _Ruby thought.

Hades easily read her thoughts and nodded as a reply. Hades returned to kissing her. At first it was slow until she started to kiss him harder. Hades once again picked her up with the intension of pressing her up against on the posts again but instead of that she fell backwards onto his bed where he landed on top of her.

Hades stopped for moment worried that he actually hurt her but when she continued to kiss him he knew everything was okay. She was fine and she was okay. She loved him and deep down he loved her as well even if he had a hard time expressing it.


	7. Always In My Heart

Always In My Heart

* * *

><p><em>GPOV…<em>

Ruby woke to find that she was completely naked and twisted up in the black silk sheets of Hades' bed. Ruby instantly noticed that Hades was gone. But she quickly found a note at the end of the bed.

_I'm sorry for leaving but I have a job to do and even though I would love to stay I couldn't, I love you, Hades._

Ruby loved his hand writing and as she looked over the note for a second time she noticed that the, _I love you, _part was a little different, it was as if Hades had a hard time writing it and she didn't care. She was just happy that he loved her. Ruby had come to here without any other clothes and she had no idea where Hades made her clothes disappear last night so she was stuck without any clothes.

_What am I meant to wear now? _She thought.

Suddenly a pile of new clean clothes, which weren't the one she had worn here, appeared on the bed in front of her.

_Thanks, _she thought.

_You should probably leave, Persephone returns tonight, _Hades said.

_But I wanted to say goodbye in person._

_I'm sort of caught up here but just know you're in my heart forever._

_And you are in mine._

Ruby grabbed the clothes, had a shower and got dressed before leaving Hades palace. She didn't want to run into Persephone, even if she hated Hades she would hate her even more now after the fact she had slept with her husband.

Ruby headed back to her father's mansion because she felt better and was completely okay with returning. Spending the night with Hades made her feel better about everything, even her Nico probably didn't seem to matter. She stepped inside the mansion and noticed that no one was there to greet her, which was good.

Ruby headed to her room and noticed that her father's bedroom door was closed which meant that he was still asleep which was normal for him. He wasn't much of a morning person. She stepped into her bedroom and closed the door. She jumped onto her bed.

All she could think about was Hades. The way he kissed her, the way he touched her, his black hair between her fingers, his cold strong body pressed against hers. Ruby was just lying there thinking about Hades when suddenly a bright flash of light appeared in her room. She covered her eyes instantly to prevent herself from going blind.

When the light faded and when it disappeared Ruby opened her eyes to find her mother standing at the end of her bed. She had never actually met her mother in person before but she knew this was her mother.

"What have you done?" she asked.

"Seriously, you have to ask," Ruby replied knowing that gods could head thoughts.

"Why?"

"Because I wanted too," Ruby replied as she looked away from her mother.

"Look at what he's done to you, you would have never acted like this before," Aphrodite said.

"You don't get to play that card because you never cared about me until I fell in love you him," Ruby said.

"He's evil and he'll hurt you," Aphrodite said.

"I don't care, I love him and you can't change that."

"Yes I can."

"You do it and I will torture you," Ruby said knowing that she couldn't kill a god.

"Ruby you're not the type of person that would hurt someone like that."

"You do not get the right to give me motherly advice because you were never a mother to me, never," Ruby said as she got off her bed and headed towards the door.

Ruby opened the door to see her dad standing there. He was about to knock when she had opened the door. But her father wasn't looking at her when she opened the door. He was looking past her at her mother who was still standing in the room.

"Have fun," Ruby said as she tried to get past her father but he didn't move.

"Christian do you have any idea who your daughter has been hanging out with?" Aphrodite asked.

"Don't even go there," Ruby said knowing that she was going to use her father against her.

Her father didn't move. He just stood in the doorway blocking her path. Since she couldn't leave she decided to return to her bed. She placed her headphones on her head and turned the music up as high as it would go. She couldn't hear a word her mother said to her father but she knew they were talking about Hades and about her having sex with him. She just listened to the music until her mother disappeared in another flash of light. Her father stood there with his 'we need to talk' look.

It was rare thing to see on her father's face because he never got angry at her because she reminded him of her mother and he still loved her mother.

Ruby pulled her headphones off and turned her iPod off before she asked.

"What?"

"How could you have sex with him? He's pretty much the devil," her father said.

Ruby realised that he had mentioned her having sex with Hades and not her loving him. Aphrodite had tricked her father once again. Ruby knew that he knew she loved him he would be acting different because he still loved a god after seventeen years of not seeing her.

"Just because he's the god of the underworld doesn't mean he's always cold-hearted," Ruby said.

"You're not allowed to see him again," her father said.

"You can't stop me, what are you going to do, lock me in my room forever?" Ruby asked.

"If that's what it takes," he said before he left locking the door.

It was odd because normally the lock was on the inside and now it was on the outside. Ruby figured her mother had something to do with this.

* * *

><p>Hades walked into his room from his bathroom wearing only black jeans. He fell onto his bed and stared up at the rubies when Persephone appeared at the end of his bed. She may hate him and may hate being here but she was still married to him and on some level she liked him. Hades didn't even move his head when she appeared. He didn't care that she was there. He would rather she didn't come back. She cleared her throat trying to get his attention but still nothing.<p>

"Hades," she said.

Still no reaction came from him. He just wanted her to leave, but she wouldn't give up that easy. She climbed on the bed and straddled his waist. She started kissing him and he kissed her back just like he always did but he couldn't stop thinking about Ruby. Luckily he had a good way of hiding his thoughts from Persephone. He covered his real thoughts with fake ones and those fake ones with more fake ones. It was too confusing for anyone to understand so they never bothered.

Persephone stopped kissing his lips and started kissing his bare chest hoping to get his attention but that wasn't working either. She noticed that he was staring up at the curtains that hung from above the bed. So she looked up and noticed the rubies in the black silk curtains. This was different because they had always been diamonds because they both liked diamonds.


	8. You Can't Avoid It

You Can't Avoid It

* * *

><p><em>GPOV…<em>

Ruby had spent three days in her room. Luckily there was a bathroom next to her room so she could go between her bedroom and the bathroom whenever she wanted. But it got boring quickly. A maid would come into the room to give her food but she refused to eat. She would rather starve to death.

As she sat on her bed she held her iPod in her hands. Her father had got one of the maids to take her laptop, her phone and her iPod and headphones out of the room but the iPod and headphones just reappeared every time and he gave up soon after the third time. She ran his fingers over the rubies on the back of the iPod. As her fingers ran over the rubies they moved into a love heart shape before it quickly returning to their original places. This made her smile.

She was sitting on her bed when someone appeared in a bright light. Before Ruby had time to react someone had grabbed her throat and held her up against the wall near her bed.

"What have you done to my husband?" they asked.

At first Ruby didn't know who it was until they said that because it was easy to figure out after that.

"Persephone," Ruby managed to say. "I didn't do anything," she replied slowly.

"He won't even look at me, he won't touch me and all he does is lie around and do his job, I'm no longer a part of his life," Persephone said.

"I thought you hated him," Ruby said as Persephone's grip loosened.

"I should just kill you now," Persephone said as her grip tightened.

"Go head, you'll just have to deal with me down there because he won't let me go," Ruby said.

"You have a point," Persephone said as she let go.

Ruby slid down the wall until she sat on the floor. Ruby started to think to herself, she was thinking of ways she could get what she wanted and give Persephone what she wanted.

"I have an idea," Ruby said as she stood up.

"You wish to go against my father's rules," Persephone said.

"Yes and no," Ruby replied. "You are cursed to live in the underworld with Hades because he tricked you into eating the pomegranate seeds, you can never leave when you're there, which brings up the question how are you here?" Ruby asked. "But I don't really care, you're father never said that you couldn't give you're curse to someone else," Ruby continued.

Persephone turned to look at Ruby. Ruby noticed her face carried an emotion as Persephone smiled at her.

"You would give up you're perfect life here to be stuck in the underworld for half the year," Persephone asked.

"My perfect like is now being locked in my room because I love him, I don't see it as perfect," Ruby said.

"If we are going to do this, what stops my father from reversing it?"

"Me, it's up to your free will, if you want to give the curse to someone else you can but if you don't want to no one can make you, the reason why you never gave to someone else already because of Hades."

"So you would do this for me?"

"I'm doing this mostly for myself but yes I would do it for you," Ruby said realising that she was selfish just like Percy had said.

"Okay," Persephone said.

* * *

><p>Hades lied on the chaise in the sitting room. He was yet again staring at the ceiling. He suddenly turned to stare at Ruby when she suddenly appeared with Persephone. He wasn't sure what was going on until Ruby walked over to him. But Hades continued to look at Persephone who seemed to perfectly fine with this girl here, which confused him.<p>

"What's going on?" Hades asked as he sat up.

"Do you love me?" Ruby asked.

Hades fell silent for a couple of seconds before answering with.

"Yes," Hades said.

"Persephone and I have a plan, one that means I wouldn't be locked up in my room and Persephone wouldn't be trapped down here with you," Ruby said.

Hades knew what their plan was. He had known that this was a flaw about the curse Persephone had but he never thought she would ever use it. Hades looked over at Persephone and she still appeared to be fine with it.

"But you're human, the curse would only last as long as your life then I would be alone again," Hades said.

"I don't care, if I get too spent more time with you I'm happy," Ruby said.

Hades looked into Ruby's eyes and for the first time in his life in the underworld he smiled. Ruby leaned down and kissed him. He kissed her back but she pulled away when Persephone appeared by her side. Persephone leant down and gave him a gentle kiss. Even though she hated it here she would miss him.

Persephone gave Ruby her curse before disappearing. It wouldn't take long for everyone to find out what she did and it didn't take long for Aphrodite to find out.

* * *

><p>Ruby lied on the chaise in the sittingdining room of Hades' Palace. Hades hovered above her while he kissed her. His hands were already under her shirt and her hands were already running up his ice cold back towards his shoulders.

"Hades, you will get off my daughter right now," Aphrodite said after she appeared.

Ruby noticed that Hades didn't pay any attention to her, she liked that. He wouldn't let anyone tell him what to do.

"Hades," Aphrodite said as she raised her voice.

This time Hades responded. He stopped kissing Ruby and stood up where he stood beside the chaise while Ruby lied on the chaise after pulled her shirt back down.

"You will release my daughter from that curse," Aphrodite said.

"You can't tell me what to do and you can't tell her what to do," Hades replied.

"I'm her mother, I can tell her to do whatever I want," Aphrodite said.

"Her mother, yes, but you don't have the right to tell her what she wants to do with her life," Hades said.

"You will release my daughter," Aphrodite said.

"He won't do anything you say," Ruby said as she stood. "You can't tell him to do anything," Ruby added as she stepped in front of Hades.

"Ruby, this isn't the place for you," Aphrodite said.

"Oh yeah and being locked in my room is," Ruby said.

Aphrodite didn't reply because she knew what she was talking about. Ruby continued to stand in front of Hades as if protecting him from her mother even though Hades was powerful enough to protect himself.

"Mark my words, if you hurt her in any way I will hurt you tenfold," Aphrodite said before she disappeared.

Ruby stood staring at the spot where her mother had been standing. She stood there deep in thought until she felt Hades' hand slowly wrap around her body. He slowly guided his hand up and under her shirt until he stopped and rested it on her abdomen before he pulled Ruby back against his chest.

* * *

><p>Nico had been avoiding the subject of Ruby and his father for almost a week now. He didn't want to talk about and Percy tried not to mention it. Nico had been staying at Percy's place since he first appeared on his doorstep. Technically Nico only crashed there at night while he spent all day wandering around the city.<p>

Nico was sitting on the lounge in Percy's small lounge room. He was sitting there alone until someone appeared behind him. He knew it was god because the room brightened. They walked around the lounge and Nico noticed that it was Persephone.

"What do you want?" Nico asked crudely until he remembered something. "How are you even here?" Nico asked curious.

"I don't have to stay in the underworld anymore, I am free to go wherever I want," Persephone said. "And this moment I want to talk to you about Ruby," Persephone added.

"I'd rather not," Nico said as Persephone sat down next to him.

"You can sit here and avoid the subject but how are you going to avoid it when she goes back to camp," Persephone asked.

"I won't go back, ever."

"You can't just avoid her, she's your friend," Persephone reminded him.

"I'm not avoiding her," Nico mumbled.

"Yes you are, she loves him and you're avoiding her because of it," Persephone said.

"She doesn't love him, he's messing with her head," Nico said with a slight about of anger in his voice.

"I'm pretty sure he isn't and I'm pretty sure she's was messing with his head a little until I gave her my curse," Persephone said to herself.

"You did what?" Nico asked as he suddenly turned to face her. "You gave her you're curse," Nico asked as Persephone nodded. "So now she's stuck there with, him?" Nico asked.

"Yes, but why would that matter to you," Persephone asked as she looked at him.

"It doesn't," Nico said as he looked away.

It was silent for a moment until Persephone spoke the words Nico had hoped no one would.

"You love her too," Persephone said.

"No," Nico started before falling silent.

Persephone didn't have to read his thoughts to know how he felt about Ruby and she knew that Ruby's powers didn't work on people that knew about them and since Nico was the first person she told about them they were not affecting his feelings towards her.


	9. Camp

Camp

_GPOV…_

Percy couldn't sleep and he hated doing this but it was hard to ignore it. He lied on his back listening to Nico's conversation with Persephone in his lounge room. Percy had noticed that every time he mentioned Ruby to Nico over the past week he acted a little odd. At first Percy thought this was because he didn't want to talk about and Percy would drop it.

But now that Percy was thinking about it more every time he mentioned Ruby Nico acted as if he didn't hate her. He just acted different. It wasn't anything Percy had ever seen Nico act like. Now Percy knew how Nico really felt about Ruby and Ruby had no idea. Percy was tempted to tell Ruby about this but how would he break that to her. She was in love with his father while his son loved her and she had no idea.

If only she knew before all this. Maybe things wouldn't have become so complicated.

Percy decided that it was up to Nico to tell her how he felt and if he wanted to it was up to him to move on because how could Nico have any chance against his father? His father loved her so much that it was clear that he wouldn't back down without a fight and Nico was only half god.

* * *

><p>Over the next few months Percy managed to convince Nico to go to camp when summer started while hiding the fact that he knew how Nico really felt about Ruby. The day after Nico had that conversation with Persephone he stopped sleeping over every night and just came by once a week until the summer started.<p>

Percy knew that Nico would turn up that day because they had made plans to go back to camp together even though Nico had the power to get to camp on his own.

Once at camp Nico went straight to his cabin because he didn't want to talk to anyone. Percy on the other hand went towards the Athena cabin in search of Annabeth. He wanted to say hello before he went to his cabin because with all this trouble between Nico and Ruby Percy didn't have much time to plan days for Annabeth. But before he even reached the cabins Ruby found him.

"Percy, I haven't seen you in months," she said as she slung an arm over his shoulders.

Ruby was both an inch taller and an inch shorter than Percy but that was only because they fought over that. Ruby always said she was an inch taller than him and Percy always said he was an inch taller than her. Neither of them really knew which one was taller because neither of them stood up straight at the same time and neither of them cared enough to find out.

"Well you do live in LA while I live in New York," Percy said.

"Don't be a smartass," Ruby said before she punched his shoulder with her free arm. "So did Nico come with you," Ruby asked a little less excited than before. "I haven't seen him around yet," Ruby added.

"Yeah, he went to his cabin," Percy said. "I would give him some space he's still a little…" Percy said unsure how to describe the situation.

"I get it," Ruby said as her cheerful side come back. "Can you not tell anyone what happened?" Ruby whispered.

"Of course, but if I know things around this place Chiron and Mr D will already know," Percy said.

"I figured," Ruby said with a sigh.

It was clear that she had thought about that and had been hoping it wasn't possible but it was always clear that she didn't care all that much about Chiron and Mr D knowing.

"That's why I'm avoiding them," Ruby whispered as she removed her arm from around his shoulders. "It's bad enough that my parents hate me, I don't need more people hating me," Ruby said.

"I thought you wanted people to hate you," Percy pointed out.

"I meant gods and Chiron," Ruby said after she made a face. "I can make normal people like me but if I have a whole bunch of gods telling me what to do…"

"It's okay," Percy said cutting Ruby off before she started ranting. "I promise I won't speak of it, I will even deny it if someone asks about it," Percy said.

Ruby quickly hugged Percy with a huge smile on her face before she left him and ran off towards her cabins while Percy continued to head to the Athena cabin.

* * *

><p>Ruby entered the Aphrodite cabin and noticed all the girls look at her and smile. They all loved her still and for once Ruby was glad. For once in a long time she loved being loved. Ruby headed towards her bed where she sat on the end and waited for one of the girls to step up to her. It had been like this every time she came back. They always wanted to know what happened because Ruby was probably the only demi-god that attended camp lived on the west coast of America.<p>

"Well I went to see this pretty awesome movie and my brother came back for my birthday," Ruby half lied after one of the girls asked what she did.

"I wish you stayed here so we could have a huge birthday party," a different girl said.

"I know but I did that last time and when I thought about it I thought I should at least spend my birthday with my father, plus now that I did I can have my eighteenth birthday here with you girls," Ruby pointed out.

The girls all smiled and laughed. Ruby could just see the gears winding in their heads about how to make Ruby's eighteenth birthday the best.

Ruby felt better about being at camp because she felt whole now. She felt like she was a whole person and not half a person. The only problem about being here was she missed Hades but she was good at distracting herself. Plus here at camp she wasn't all that safe from her mother. Ruby knew her mother wouldn't give up that easily. She really hated this whole thing.

Ruby missed camp life a lot more than she had thought. She missed her friends and the girls of the Aphrodite cabin, so her half-sisters.

* * *

><p>Ruby was sitting with her half-sistersfriends at the first bonfire of the summer break. The night's sky was an amazing sight and Ruby enjoyed everything about being here until she noticed Nico. He walked past the fire with a hood over his head. He didn't look like he wanted to be here at all and she knew why. He hated her because of how she felt about his father. He sat down alone and avoided looking at her which she understood.

Ruby honestly felt different. Earlier when she asked Percy about him she had a plan and she felt perfectly fine with talking to Nico about anything but now she felt different, she felt sad or offended that one of her great friends hated her.

"What's with Nico?" one of her friends asked. "He's moodier than normal," she added.

"Yeah, he's real depressing," another said.

"Who wants to find out?" Ruby asked.

No one said anything. She knew that this would be the reply because they were sort of afraid of Nico because of his father. But Ruby didn't fear his father at all so she decided to do it herself.

"Where are you going?" one of her friends asked as she stood.

"I'm going to talk with Nico," Ruby said.

"What about his dad?" another asked.

"I'm not afraid of him and honestly that doesn't make any sense, I'm just going to talk to Nico, it's not like I'm going to kill him and if I was all Nico's dad can do is kill me but we are all dying so if I'm going to die I might as well take a risk," Ruby replied before she continued to walk towards Nico.

She heard her friends whisper as she walked away. Once Ruby made it to Nico she sat next to him and said.

"So are you nocturnal now?"

"I guess," Nico replied from under his hood.

"Isn't this fun," Ruby said as she got comfortable.

"Not really," Nico mumbled.

"I don't know why but being back at camp is fun, I missed this," Ruby said. "It sure beats being locked in my room," Ruby mumbled to herself.

"My dad did that?" Nico asked as he turned to face her.

"Not your dad, my dad, he thought locking me away in my room would solve his problem, because you know I don't have any problem with it," Ruby said with a smile.

Nico didn't reply but he did smile a little. He didn't even know why and he was hoping that Ruby didn't notice.

"That's amazing," Ruby said with excitement.

"What?" Nico replied slightly shocked by the sudden change.

"I can make the most depressing guy at camp smile," Ruby said.

"Well, maybe it's one of your talents," Nico said.

"It wouldn't really be a very useful talent if it only worked on you," Ruby said.

"Well everyone else smiles at you because they can't help it," Nico said.

"True," Ruby replied. "But you know the truth so my powers don't work on you which makes it more of a challenge, not that it's all that interesting, it's only a smile," Ruby said.

A few minutes later Ruby returned to her friends where they asked what they talked about.

"He hasn't been sleeping well recently, nightmares and all," Ruby lied.

"I can't believe you managed to get that out of him," a friend said.

"Well, he's not that bad to talk to, a little silent and to himself but I would have to say more interesting that most of the guys around here," Ruby said.

"Maybe you should date him," a friend suggested.

"What?" Ruby asked instantly.

"Nothing," the friend said.

Ruby was amazed that someone would think she should date Nico. She had never thought of him like that.

After the bonfire she returned to her cabin some time close to midnight. She returned on her own because she had done for a walk before heading back to her cabin. She wanted some time alone, time to think. The idea of Ruby dating Nico was still on her head but once she went for a walk all thoughts about that left her head and she fell asleep instantly when she returned to her cabin.


	10. The Decision

The Decision

* * *

><p><em>GPOV…<em>

Nico on the other hand couldn't sleep. He was thinking about Ruby and their chat. She didn't talk about his dad once and he liked that but he couldn't like her if she loved his dad. So he decided that he shouldn't get close to her again. If his father found out that he liked her he wouldn't be happy and he would probably make another artwork in his sitting/dining room, of him.

Nico didn't want that happen. He happened to like being alive. He just wanted to move on. He needed to find something to take his thoughts off Ruby and his father but when he grabbed his headphones he started thinking her again. He couldn't get her off his mind and he realised that he was going to have a hard time to get her out of his head and his life like he planned. He held the headphones in one hand and his iPod in the other and yet Ruby was the only thing he could think of.

* * *

><p>As the months passed, nothing really happened. Everything went quiet after the second titan war which was an odd thing but a good thing. Maybe no one was strong enough to over throw the gods yet.<p>

Nico was sitting against a tree in the shadows at the bonfire avoiding everyone and mainly Ruby. He had managed to avoid her over the months because she had been busy with all her friends and their party arrangements for the end of the summer break. But even though he had avoided her his head was still full of thoughts about her. He just wanted to stop thinking about her but he couldn't. He wanted someone to take her out of his head.

"Hey, can I talk to you?" someone asked.

Nico opened his eyes to see Ruby standing in front of him.

"What about," Nico asked calmly.

"About the fact that you've been avoiding me," Ruby said as she crossed her arms.

He had been hoping that she hadn't noticed. He had been hoping that all her party plans had taken her attention off him.

"Okay," Nico replied.

Ruby sat down in front of him and asked.

"Do you want to come to my birthday party?"

"I thought we were talking about me avoiding you."

"Well, when you think about it if you continue to avoid me you can't come to my party and I would really like you there," Ruby said.

"I guess that is true," Nico replied.

"So will you come?"

"Yeah, okay," Nico replied giving in.

Nico couldn't say no to her no matter how much he wanted too. Nico slowly got to his feet and Ruby followed. Nico stood there thinking about her. Every little detail about her was so amazing, from her light brown hair to her blue eyes, everything was so amazing. He quickly decided to leave. He said good night and left before this became any worse. He returned to his cabin.

Nico lied on his bed and stared at the ceiling. One of the many things he had in common with his father. Nico lied there awake until some appeared in a blinding light. When the light faded Nico saw Aphrodite. Nico knew it was her even though he had never met her before. There were things that Ruby shared with her mother no matter how much Ruby denied it.

"What are you doing here?" Nico asked.

"You need to give this to Ruby at her party," Aphrodite said as she threw a small bottle at him.

He caught the bottle and noticed there was no label on the vial.

"What is this?"

"It's a potion that will make her fall out of love with your father," Aphrodite said.

"Why can't you do it?"

"Because she doesn't trust me," Aphrodite said.

"So you want me to do it? Why would I do that?"

"Because you love her, and you know that if she continues to love Hades that it won't be good for her."

"What do you mean?"

"If she dies she will be with him forever and she's too young to spend her whole life with him," Aphrodite said.

"You really don't like him do you?" Nico said.

"I have my reasons for hating your father like everyone else," Aphrodite said before she disappeared.

* * *

><p>Ruby was standing among her friends at her party the following night when Nico came up to her. Her friends smiled before walking away.<p>

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked wondering why he came up to her even though she was surrounded by her friends.

"I thought that I should bring you a drink for avoiding you all the time," Nico said as he held out a cup.

"Thanks," she said as she took the cup.

Ruby brought the cup up to her mouth and stopped. She looked at Nico and said.

"I want to talk about something with you," Ruby said. "But I think we should talk somewhere else, in private," Ruby said knowing her friends were listening.

"Okay," Nico said.

Ruby and Nico headed into the woods close to where they could be alone.

"Look, I know this is weird, me and your dad, but I love him, I really do," Ruby said.

Ruby had been holding back talking about all this because she didn't want to lose Nico as a friend. Ruby watched as Nico just stood there. He didn't respond in any way.

"Nico, are you listening?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, it's just, he's my dad and I didn't think this would happen," Nico said.

"So you would have preferred if I never met him?" Ruby asked.

"I would have liked to know that you felt something for him before I walked in on him kissing you," Nico said as he looked to the looked.

Ruby fell silent. She wasn't really sure what to say. She had no idea that Nico would find them like that. She didn't even know he was going to Hades' Palace after he came back from camp.

"I didn't know he felt the same way about me, I just thought he was being nice to me because he hated being alone all the time," Ruby said.

"Well he does hate being alone," Nico agreed which made Ruby smile.

"So about everything how do you feel about it now?" Ruby asked.

"Well I don't really know, it came as a surprise to me when I saw him kiss you, I just thought he was being himself, tricking you into liking him like he tricked Persephone into staying in the underworld," Nico said.

"So you don't hate me?" Ruby asked.

"I can't hate you, you're still my friend even if you like him," Nico said avoiding the word 'love' on purpose. "It's just I never thought anyone could get under his skin like you do, for as long as I've known him he's always been an emotionless cold-hearted man," Nico said. "You've changed him just the tiniest bit and I've noticed even if I haven't talked to him since, I can feel change," Nico continued.

"Well I guess that's a good thing," Ruby said as she looked to her drink.

Ruby lifted her drink up for a toast.

"To change," she said.

Ruby noticed that Nico stared at the cup in her hand for a little too long before turning to face the ground. Ruby knew something was odd but she didn't think it had anything to do with her drink so she brought it towards her lips. But before it touched her lips Nico grabbed it and threw it to the ground.

"I can't do it," Nico said.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"Please forgive me," Nico said as he pulled out a dagger and stabbed it through her heart.

Ruby watched as everything faded away into darkness.

* * *

><p>Percy had noticed Nico and Ruby walk off and he decided to follow them. He wanted to know what was going on and he needed to know if Nico was finally going to tell her the truth. Percy needed to know if they were still going to be friends because Percy didn't want to pick sides. Percy had known Nico longer but he knew more about Ruby.<p>

Percy watched as they talked about their problem. Percy noticed how Nico was acting. He was actually fidgeting which was something he didn't do. Nico could stand still in the corner of the room for hours and not fidget but her he was fidgeting like crazy.

Percy continued to watch until he noticed Nico take her drink and stab her through the heart. Percy quickly jumped out of the shadows and grabbed Nico and threw him against a nearby tree. Percy wasn't sure what to think. Was Nico under someone's control? Was he going to kill everyone else? What was going on?

"What did you do?" Percy asked even though he knew what happened.

"I saved her life," Nico said.

"I'm pretty sure killing someone doesn't save their life," Percy said.

"It does in her case, Aphrodite wanted me to make her drink a potion that would make her fall out of love with Hades," Nico said.

"So you killed her?"

"She can be with him forever, now," Nico said.

Percy slowly understood what Nico was saying. But going against a god like that would turn out bad for Nico and Percy had the feeling that Hades wouldn't understand either, unless Nico told him himself.

Suddenly one of Ruby's friends found them and Ruby's body.

"What happened?" she asked as she started to sob.

"Something made Nico do it against his will," Percy lied.

"I'm so sorry," Nico said with a shaken voice.

"Is she dead?" her friend asked as she kneeled next to her body.

Nico nodded trying to act as if he felt really bad about his decision. He also wore a fake face that made him look shaken up and shocked and what happened.


	11. The Afterlife

The Afterlife

* * *

><p><em>GPOV…<em>

Ruby woke on Hade's bed in his room in his palace. She sat up and tried to remember what happened.

_Nico and I were talking when he stabbed me, _she thought.

She quickly checked her chest and it felt fine. There were no marks or scars which mean that she dead, it had to, right. Nico had killed her, he just stabbed her.

Ruby started in to into shock. If she was dead what happens now, what does she do now?

"You're going to fine," Hades said from the armchair by the fireplace in the room.

"How can you say that, Nico killed me for no reason," Ruby said faster than her ears could hear.

"He has a reason but I think it is best for him to tell you," Hades said.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked still stuck on the thought that he had no reason.

"He's down in the sitting room waiting, he won't leave until you talk to him," Hades said.

"He killed me and he wants to talk about it," Ruby said.

Hades didn't reply he just sat there so she decided to talk with Nico. She mainly wanted to yell at him but if you think about it that was talking.

Ruby left Hades' master bedroom and entered the sitting room where she found Nico sitting on the floor staring into the fireplace. He looked like he hadn't moved in hours. But as soon as Ruby sat down next to him he moved and he reached over and hugged her. She instantly pushed him off.

"I'm so sorry I didn't know what else to do?" Nico asked so shaky that he was shaking.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"Aphrodite wanted me to make you drink a potion that would make you forget that you were in love with my father," Nico said.

"You were going to make me forget?"

"Yeah," Nico said ashamed.

He turned back to the fireplace where he stared at the flames.

"I wanted to do it as well," Nico said.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I love you, I wanted you to love me," Nico said as he instantly turned to face her.

"Okay," Ruby replied slowly.

"But when we were talking and I said that you were changing my father into a better person I realised I couldn't do it and I knew that if anyone could change him it would be you," Nico said.

"Is that why he's moody," Ruby asked.

"What do you mean?"

"He was very quiet and didn't talk that much," Ruby said. "Do you think that is because you love me?" Ruby asked.

"Loved you," Nico said. "I drank some of that potion after I killed you because I couldn't live with being in love with the girl my father loves and the girl I killed," Nico said.

Ruby and Nico sat there in silence.

"I hope this whole being dead this doesn't turn me into a zombie, I have expectations to stand up too," Ruby said with a smile.

"I'm pretty sure that's not how it works," Nico replied with a bigger smile.

"I'm pretty sure I know."

"I'm pretty sure you don't."

"Like I said at the beginning, young people I will never understand you," Hades said from behind them.

Ruby turned to see him standing there. He stood there with no emotion but Ruby didn't care that much about that.

"Well maybe you're jealous that you can't have a conversation with someone that makes absolutely no sense," Ruby said.

"I am certain that I'm not jealous," Hades replied.

"Oh right, you have no emotions," Ruby said as she stood up.

"I have emotions but jealousy isn't one of them, I don't need it," Hades said.

"I'm pretty sure that was jealousy earlier," Ruby said as she placed her hand on his chest. "And your cute when your jealous," she added.

For the first time she felt something similar to a heartbeat. It was slow but it was there. Hades leaned down and kissed her before she could kiss him.

"I'm still here, could you at least wait until I leave," Nico said as they broke apart.

"Okay, if you want to face my mother's wrath go ahead, leave," Ruby said as she turned to face Nico.

"What's she going to do? Kill me, I wouldn't be surprised," Nico said.

"She could curse you so that you can never talk again because I would like that," Hades replied.

"Thanks a lot," Nico replied.

"No problem," he replied.

**- THE END -**


End file.
